The Support Behind the Support
How CVNQuinte invests in the people who show up every day
Community support work is quiet, consistent, and deeply personal. It happens in kitchens and community centres, on transit routes and in grocery store aisles. It happens in the spaces where people are building their lives. The people doing this work carry a great deal.
What does it take to sustain that kind of work well, and over time? At CVNQuinte, the answer starts with the same principles the organization brings to the people it supports: listen carefully, follow through, and make sure people feel that someone has their back.
“When we have happy, appreciated employees who are heard, they act on that,” says Terri Korkush, Executive Director. “They listen, and they act on how to support the people that they support. It’s a butterfly effect. If I’m kind as a leader in an organization and I treat my employees with the utmost respect, they feel that. They treat each other like that.”
That philosophy shapes everyday practice at CVNQuinte in ways that are both structural and quietly human.
An Open Door
One of the most consistent things people describe about working at CVNQuinte is that the door is genuinely open. Not as a phrase on a policy document, but as a daily reality.
“We have an open door practice, not a policy, but a practice,” Terri says. “Whether you’re admin staff, a supervisor, or myself, if an employee comes to talk to us, we take the time to listen.”
Supervisor Joanne Goodfellow echoes this from her own vantage point. For her, being accessible is part of what makes people feel that their work matters.
“They know they can come through the door, and if we’re available, they don’t have to have an appointment,” she says. “If they bring something forward or have some ideas, we ensure that we have the conversations with them about their ideas.”
When something goes wrong, the approach is the same. Joanne describes it plainly: “It’s not as disciplinary as a learning approach.” Supervisor Rebecca Kerr adds that the intention is to keep mistakes in proportion. “We’re not catastrophizing,” she says. “Mistakes are going to be made sometimes. We have to focus on moving forward.”
Twice a year, Terri convenes what she calls engagement days, gathering community support workers, coordinators, and supervisors to share what is working, what is not, and what they want more of. Performance appraisals, too, are designed to move in both directions. Employees evaluate themselves first. They reflect on what they are proud of. They are asked what made them feel good about their work.
“There’s always an opportunity to hear how employees feel,” Terri says.
Safety, Not Just Structure
For CVNQuinte’s coordinators, the open culture is not just a management value. It is the condition that makes the work possible. Community support workers are often in the field independently, without a supervisor nearby. If they cannot bring problems forward easily, things get missed.
“We make this specific building a safe place for people to come and be able to articulate what’s going on in their lives,” says coordinator Alex. “Because if they don’t articulate it, we can’t help.”
Coordinator Kyra describes the ripple effect. When a staff member is having a difficult day or is unsure how to handle a situation, the coordinators come alongside rather than direct. “We’re able to step in and kind of mentor them to help get to that conclusion easier,” she says, “so that they’re comfortable, and so are the people we support.”
“If you don’t listen to your employees,” Rebecca says, “it fosters an environment where they don’t feel trusted, and so they don’t bring things forward. Things get missed.”
The Work of Recognition
Being heard is one part of the picture. Being seen is another.
CVNQuinte does not wait for designated appreciation weeks to tell employees that their work matters. There are barbecues and hot chocolate socials. Birthday cards signed by the whole office. A monthly employee spotlight on social media. Small things, accumulated steadily, that add up to something people feel.
Rebecca describes one gesture that stands out for its simplicity: when reaching out to staff by text, starting with a genuine question before any ask. “How’s your day going? It goes a long way when you’re saying, how are you doing?”
Natasha, a support coordinator approaching her second year at CVNQuinte, describes what it means to work somewhere that celebrates its people. “We take time to celebrate each other,” she says. “Even if it’s a birthday. It keeps us like a family.”
The Difference a Workplace Makes
Several people interviewed had worked elsewhere before coming to CVNQuinte. The comparison, even without naming names, was consistent.
“Burnout was real,” says support coordinator Becky. “At other agencies, it was kind of every man for itself. Here it’s just a team approach with every aspect.”
She also points to the organization’s investment in continuous learning as something that sets CVNQuinte apart. Staff are regularly supported through courses on topics ranging from palliative care to budgeting to housing issues. “We’re constantly learning,” she says. “You’re never done. And when your employer knows that the world is changing and you need that education, it makes a huge difference.”
Kyra makes a salient observation: Newer staff, she says, are often surprised by what they find here. “A lot of staff that have started working for the agency are just amazed at how open and supportive we are. You get to know each other at a much more personal level. And I think it brings a lot of people a lot of calm, because we have this work that can be stressful for sure.”
Terri says, “They feel really proud of what they do, not because somebody’s patting them on the back, but because they know they’ve got the support to do what they need to do the right way. And I think any employee feels so much better doing their job when they know that their supervisor’s got their back, their colleagues have their back, their executive director has their back.”
